Hero
by akindofmutant
Summary: Everyone needs to make a change. For the better, or the worse. Sometimes, they have to make the choice of going through the worst, to get to the better. Naruto is determined to save Sasuke from his addiction. He wants Sasuke to be healthy and alive. He needed him to be. So, with all of his efforts, will Naruto be the one to help Sasuke finally face his addiction and traumas?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** The story surrounds the topic of sexual childhood trauma, drug abuse, and sobriety. If these topics trigger you in any way, please do not continue with this story. Some things are from personal experience, while other things I've learned about using extensive research. It also contains explicit language. If anything catches your eye, please do not hesitate to contact me!

**Author's note: **Hello, fellow Earthling! Yes, you've read right. This story contains a lot of heavy stuff; it is not for the faint of heart. However, your feedback is always welcome. I am currently still in the process of writing this story, but I just couldn't wait any longer to start posting. Alright I'll stop tiring your eyes, hope you enjoy the story! :)

**Prologue: **

_Stupid Sasuke. Stupid, stupid bastard. _Naruto thought, sitting in an uncomfortable chair with his arms crossed high over his chest. He wouldn't give the teme the satisfaction of looking at him, as if Sasuke was even aware of his surroundings. Still, he didn't want to show Sasuke he cared. He wanted to be angry. So angry. He wanted to be livid.

But he couldn't.

Because he did care. Immensely. He cared so much, with every fiber in his being, about the raven. He would do anything for him in a heartbeat. So, here he sits. Battered and bruised, two feet away from an unconscious Sasuke laying soundly asleep in a hospital bed. And he lets out a sigh, caving eyes scanning over the boy he's fantasized over for years.

He'd never dare ruin the friendship, though. It took _years _for Sasuke to finally call Naruto his friend. A friendship spanning over fifteen years. Through thick and thin, they've stuck to each other like the other was the life line. They've overcome the times that brought fist fights, mind-numbing awkward moments between them, and weeks of not speaking to one another, but there was always one thing Sasuke just couldn't seem to get rid of and Naruto just couldn't seem to help. _Teme_, he thought, shaking his head, peeling his eyes away.

But, oh how little did Naruto understand.

He pulled up his hood over his blonde locks and rested his head on the wall, careful not to hit his swollen eye and cheek. He needed the rest after an exhausting forty-eight hours.

-§-


	2. Chapter One - Something to do

**Notes: ***comes out of hiding* ...Hi! Sorry this took so long, I wanted to have more than just a couple chapters written out before posting! I promise the rest won't take as long to post :)

Until next time,

Mutant.

**Chapter One - Something to do**

"Oi! Pick up your damn phone, teme!" Naruto bursts into Sasuke's room, effectively causing the raven to jump and quickly hide whatever he'd been doing. Naruto held his breath, knowing full well what Sasuke was trying to hide.

"You fucking dobe," Sasuke wiped at his face rather harshly. "There's a reason why I didn't answer your ridiculous amount of calls and texts." His voice a low sound barely echoing the room. He refused to turn his head around and meet the blond still standing in his doorway.

"Yeah, well," Naruto took off his backpack, "I'm bored and I brought some games." Sasuke felt the bulky bag thrown on the bed.

"I'm not in the mood," his head fell low, voice even lower.

"Obviously," but Naruto still dug out the board games from his bright blue backpack. A brilliant cerulean blue, just like his eyes. "Itachi said you've been in bed for a few days. He's really worried." Sasuke snorted, shaking his head a little.

"Hey, he's always fuckin' worried about you, okay?" His voice raised a little, almost shaking a fist at him. "I would be too, if you weren't such an asshole," Naruto smirked slightly, knowing it would evoke some kind of reaction from the pale man. And right was he when Sasuke let out a short, breathy chuckle.

"Shut up, idiot." Sasuke got up, still rubbing at his face. Naruto could only catch a glimpse of Sasuke's red cheeks as he sauntered his way to the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it behind him. Naruto eyed the door for a moment. Then made a break for Sasuke's bedside drawer.

And there it was, the bane of Naruto's existence. The thing he couldn't beat; he couldn't get Sasuke to beat. But it was the source of Sasuke's relief, his sweet dreams. His hard candy. His _hero_. Scattered in the drawer, in a small bag. In a bundle of foil. Littered with dirtied injections and razors sure to bring more danger than this little hobby of his would already cause.

Naruto felt helpless. He knew this about Sasuke, but he couldn't stop from feeling cheated and weak and angry and – he inhaled deeply and closed the drawer. The bathroom door unlocked and Naruto quickly made his way back over to his backpack on the other side of the bed.

"So, I was thinking," he held up a big brown box, "Sherlock's Consulting Detective, or…" he pulled a small green velvety pouch, "scrabble." Sasuke stared at him, the blond's face was oddly expressionless, and his tone was brash. "But I don't think you can handle either right now." Naruto let his arms fall straight down, looking Sasuke dead in his slightly red eyes. Sasuke swallowed.

"You've been missing work too much, Sas," Naruto was calmer now. Gentler. "How you're not laid off is beyond me." He took a few steps closer to the paler than normal, slightly taller raven. Sasuke felt a sudden wave of discomfort. Bunching up his thin eyebrows, he pushed past the brawny blond.

"Leave me alone, Naruto," he went for the door, "no one asked you to come." And just like that, Sasuke was out of Naruto's sights again. Sighing, Naruto followed Sasuke through the Uchiha manor. A lavish estate that's been in their family for generations. It was safe to say that Sasuke was lucky enough to be born into money, so it wasn't as if he needed the job. And neither did Naruto. Both of their families were of high rankings.

"Why do you even care about working at that dump, anyways," Sasuke said bitterly, knowing the stumbling behind him was the blond idiot.

"It's not a dump!" Naruto was offended, he loves that place. "It's fun working there, you get to meet a lot of people and-"

"It's a damn ice cream shop, Naruto," Sasuke rubbed at his forehead, stopping entirely once he reached the kitchen doors. He turned to look at a flustered Naruto.

"It gives us something to do," He shrugged. Eyeing Sasuke intently. "You know how bored I get. Besides, the employee discount's great, too." Naruto flashed a lopsided grin at Sasuke.

"Does that really matter?" Sasuke's voice was back to being barely there, and the blond felt his smile falter.

"I guess not," his eyes fell to the floor.

"Dobe," Sasuke shook his head and continued his way into the kitchen. Naruto was quick to follow, as if a force had been pulling him.

"Y'know, doing stuff and being out there helps you get your mind off whatever's bothering you," Naruto tried reasoning with Sasuke, as if he'd never tried it before. Sasuke inhaled sharply as he opened the fridge.

"I am not having this conversation again." He grabbed the orange juice and slammed the door shut. He walked over to the cabinets and took out a glass.

"Teme. You could always talk to me," Naruto waited until Sasuke was across the kitchen island pouring the juice into the glass to speak.

"I know," Sasuke said with a scowl on his face. He pushed the glass towards Naruto and placed the carton back into the fridge. Naruto looked at the glass, confusedly, but took it anyways.

"Then why don't you?" He moved towards Sasuke. Standing not too close, not too far. Just enough space between them for Sasuke to not feel threatened. Sasuke visibly heaved in a breath, standing with his head down. It was a long, quiet moment before he shook his head and spoke.

"So, what do you have planned for today?" Sasuke shook off whatever he was feeling, he didn't want Naruto to worry anymore. Itachi was pestering him enough as is. Naruto got the hint. He pressed his lips tightly together.

"Well, I was thinking of playing some games," he nodded upwards, towards Sasuke's bedroom, "but nevermind." He drank his juice and Sasuke felt like shit. "Y'know, haven't seen you in a while, thought we could catch up." He stood there awkwardly, body half turned away from Naruto. He closed his eyes, thinking that was going to make him disappear, to not have him deal with how terrible he felt.

But he just couldn't help it.

"We could always just go for a drive," Naruto's voice brought Sasuke back. He slowly raised his head and looked at the blond. "Like we always do," the bright blue eyed blond shrugged. Sasuke squinted slightly, as if Naruto was the sun; too bright, his eyes couldn't handle it. He felt something warm spread in the pit of his stomach. He brushed the feeling off, most likely the drugs had something to do with it...and nothing else.

"I'd like that."

-§-


	3. Chapter Two - Careful

**Notes:**

Stay indoors and stay safe

xoxo, Mutant

**Chapter Two - Careful**

Sasuke is sitting in an obnoxiously yellow and loud muscle car with a Naruto that won't stop singing along to every song that comes on the radio. Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, bobbing his head from side to side, his hair bouncing to every beat. And he's content, he thinks. He feels guilty…he thinks. Most of the time, his feelings are numb. Other times, he avoids them completely. Contrary to popular belief, his mind wasn't always sharp. Sure, he's book-smart, but it's been a while since they'd graduated and it's not like he was looking for any serious jobs. Besides, the raven was lucky enough to live off his parents' fortune and stay home, and continue doing what he loves most. Ever since, he can hardly remember the last day his mind wasn't foggy. The last day he wasn't…_altered_.

Naruto noticed Sasuke's slouchy form. He wants to say something, but he knows every time he does, nothing really sticks. He probably agreed to hanging out and didn't kick Naruto out his bedroom window the second he walked in is because he barely had the fight in him. It killed Naruto knowing he couldn't do anything to help his best friend-

No. He could.

Sasuke just wouldn't let him.

The blond looked him over once more, letting out a sigh. Sasuke seemed so…defeated.

He glared back out at the road, kept driving, kept singing, kept glancing at Sasuke. Aimlessly.

"Wanna go to the lake?" Naruto said before thinking. He just _had_ to say something. Sasuke barely heard it, but he heard it nonetheless.

"Hn," was all he replied. Naruto took it as a yes, and made the turn that took them to the lake they've been visiting since their parents had met. What fond memories did the lake bring; their families would gather there for picnics on occasion, their fathers would go fishing, Sasuke's older brother would take the young boys deep into the woods and leave them to fend for themselves. Though of course, he never truly left them alone. He would just trick them into believing they were. It was always funny watching the two try to protect each other from the dangers of little rabbits and squirrels.

As the two boys grew into their teenage years, that lake held on to their many secrets. Secrets both boys and anyone involved from their group of friends would never speak of. Naruto felt the tips of his ears slightly heat up, and he swallowed, remembering a particular game of tru-

"Do you have any water?" Sasuke sat up uncomfortably. The scowl heavy on his delicate features. Naruto scattered his hands around his car as far as he could.

"Uh, I don't think I–" he pulled out a half empty water bottle from in between his seat and the car's door, "Found some!" He smiled, handing over the crinkly, almost flattened bottle. Sasuke grabbed it without hesitation and gulped down what was left of it. Naruto's smile faltered. He forgot Sasuke got super thirsty whenever he was on _it_. Sasuke fell back onto his seat, head resting on the window.

"Sas," Naruto called out softly, waiting for an answer. All he got was that familiar hum, "We can go back home if you're feeling sick."

"No. No," Sasuke sat up straighter, "I'm fine. Let's just go to the lake." Naruto stayed on the path. Reluctant, but in route..

-§-

Finally, Naruto could see the sign that read _Pine Lake _in big, bold letters. Only a few more minutes until Sasuke could breathe the fresh air. At some point along the way, Naruto turned the radio off once he heard Sasuke's soft snores. Granted, the lake was pretty far away, so he let the raven sleep.

He sighed. And he sighed once more, feeling the lingering anger come back in full force in the pit of his stomach. Sasuke hid it so well, in the beginning at least. Teenage Naruto was as clueless as they came to the signs. It wasn't until they were twenty-one when Naruto caught him in the bathroom of a club they'd gone to celebrating a pink-haired friend's birthday. On that fateful night two years ago, Naruto's whole world had shifted. Sasuke, on the other hand, was starting to get messy. Mainly around Itachi and Naruto, since they knew. His parents knew, and avoided the topic entirely. Naruto's parents knew, as well. But it's not like they could do anything. Naruto couldn't do anything. He gripped the steering wheel tighter as he breathed in. _Change had to come from him,_ Naruto's dad told him. Sasuke should be the one to make the decision to change, and all Naruto could do was be there for him. He knew his dad was right, but still, it didn't help with how useless he felt.

He threw the gear into park, turned off the ignition and deeply sighed for the last time before turning his gaze to the sleeping raven. Clad in all black, like he almost always did. He let his eyes linger for a little. He brought up his hand, pushing some hair away from Sasuke's face. He looked so peaceful. However, he was anything but.

"Sas, wake up," Naurto meekly shoved at Sasuke's arm. Nothing. He shook harder, "Oi, Sasuke." Nothing. Sudden urgency was rushing through Naruto's veins, and he shook harder. Despite Sasuke's snoring. "Sasuke!"

"What?! Dobe, shut up!" Sasuke groaned.

"You gave me a fucking heart attack, you asshole!" Naruto clutched at his chest, abashedly.

"I was sleeping!" Sasuke waved a hand in front of him, obviously annoyed. Naruto knew that, but he still managed to spook himself.

"Whatever," he turned away. "We're here." He took his keys out of the ignition and got out, slamming the car door behind him. Sasuke sighed, rubbed at the foul grimace on his face, seemingly trying to push it further into his face, as if the world wasn't already aware of how unpleasant it made Sasuke feel. He got out the car and followed Naruto to their usual spot.

A small cave that wasn't deep enough to get lost in, but deep enough for fires and sleeping bags. A cozy place for a small campsite. They had a nice tunnel view of the lake, some large pine trees surrounding them. Truly a place to be if you had ever wanted to just be away. The two sat in silence for a long time. They had a good few hours until dark, so the cave wasn't that dim yet. Sasuke yawned, pulling at his sleeves.

The blond has been quiet. Really quiet. Sasuke peeked at him from the corner of his eyes. He still seemed annoyed and was trying to hide it. It was so subtle, a skill Naruto's surprisingly good at but would never admit. If Sasuke hadn't known him, he wouldn't have been able to tell.

"What did you do at work today?" Sasuke asked. Naruto's head whipped around so fast, he was sure he saw four Sasukes.

"You? Asking about work? Sasuke?" Naruto's wide eyes stared into his. The raven felt a heat in his cheeks and looked away, a smile tugging at his lips. He half-heartedly shoved the blond's shoulder.

"Just trying to not be any more of an asshole." Sasuke muttered, emitting a small chuckle from the blond and that tiny sound instantly made Sasuke feel better.

"It was…pretty boring, actually. That kid, Konohamaru, came in today. Kiba and I annoyed him to bits. Poor thing was jumping off the walls by the time we were done with him." Naruto laughed fondly at the memory, staring out at the lake, as Sasuke stared at him. At the smile that always hung a little to the right. "And that was about it," Naruto shrugged and turned to Sasuke. Almost instantaneously, the raven tore his eyes away. It was his turn to stare out into the open.

However, that didn't stop the blond from seeing those eyes again. The eyes that looked so far away. Naruto was about to say something but Sasuke beat him to it.

"Tell me more." Hearing the blond talk was good for him, though he'd never admit it. It quieted whatever ruckus was going on inside his mind, and sometimes, it helped fill the emptiness. If it had been any other person, Sasuke would've been in jail on the account of murder by now.

"More?" Naruto felt his smile widen. "Well, alright. But like I said, it was a pretty boring work day." Naruto continued to blabber on and on about Konohamaru coming back in to get the ice cream he never got the first time around, his manager's zipper was open the entire day and no one told him, there was a sticky spot in the back room that was particularly hard to clean, and so on and so forth. Sasuke hummed on occasion, laughed on another. If this was boring, what was a good day?

The men sat in silence for some time. Sasuke trying hard to keep his mind grounded, and in the moment, while itching at something on his arm that just won't go away.

Naruto was dying to sit closer to Sasuke, and itching to say something.

"Hey, Sas," Naruto scooted ever so slightly closer to Sasuke.

"Hm?" He tried staying still.

"Can I ask you somethin'?" Naruto never got to speak freely about this topic with Sasuke. He would always shut him up, shove him out, sometimes throw punches out of nowhere. But something about the raven right now seemed calmer than normal. It's a chance he's willing to take.

Sasuke nodded and looked down. His itching unabating. He kept his eyes down, knowing exactly what those blue ones would do to him if he tried to look into them.

"Can you at least tell me," Naruto started strong, but his voice slowly faded, "that you're careful?" Before he could even realize, Sasuke was staring at big blue eyes. _Damn his slow reflexes._ He saw Naruto's desperate expression. There was a slight…sadness. A lump in his throat proved to make things harder; that he couldn't handle seeing him like this. Sasuke couldn't bear the thought of what his actions do to the blond. Usually, he was good at pushing down these feelings, at avoiding them completely, but these past few weeks have been…particularly difficult. All the things he ignored were flooding him, demanding so much of him now. They were all coming back to haunt him.

Naruto held such intensity in his stare, Sasuke could only nod. Until the burning in his eyes forced him to look back down.

"Yes," his voice came out gruff, "I'm careful." He clenched his eyes shut.

"Good," Naruto's voice sounded closer. Sasuke wouldn't have known he moved closer if the blond hadn't spoken. "Because I really fuckin' care about you, y'know?" He felt Naruto's arm nudge his lightly. That would've knocked Sasuke over the edge, if his arm wasn't so damn itchy.

"Stop doing that," Naruto grabbed at his hand, pulling it away. But Sasuke pushed forwards, kept scratching. "Sas, c'mon," Naruto held Sasuke's hand this time. Squeezing it tight. "Stop."

Sasuke fought against the grip, trying to yank his hand back, but Naruto wouldn't budge. He pulled harder, he pushed harder, and Naruto's grip just seemed to be getting stronger. He had both arms pushing against Naruto now, his legs, everything telling Naruto to get away but the blond only held tighter. Sasuke never once breaking, grunting and cursing at the blond.

Until a sob broke out. And only then did Naruto's grip soften.

"It's okay," Naruto's voice was close to his ear, "it's okay, Sasuke," it became muffled, and Sasuke fell further into Naruto's shoulder, for once accepting the care he'd been shown. He spent too long in the quiet alone.

Naruto was taken by surprise, he'd never seen the raven break down _so quickly_ before. But he didn't dare let go, not when Sasuke was a mess like this. Especially not when Sasuke finally _admitted_ to some sort of defeat.

-§-


	4. Chapter Three - Choices

**Chapter Three - Choices**

They've been here for nearly two hours. Naruto comforting Sasuke, rubbing small circles on his back, it's something he picked up from his mother. Sasuke's sobs now rare, and the sniffs were more like deep breaths.

Naruto secretly hoped Sasuke would fall asleep, he didn't want to let go just yet. But of course, all good things could never _just happen_, and Sasuke sat up, pulling away from Naruto and his very wet shirt.

"Sorry," Sasuke whispered, wetly.

"No, don't be," Naruto reassured him, "I don't mind. How're you feeling?" he smiled softly, keeping his voice gentle. Sasuke visibly heaved in a breath, as more tears sat on the edge of his eyes.

"Tired," he answered truthfully. Naruto was doing backflips in his mind and wanted to flail around in excitement at the sudden progress but he had to stay as composed as he could. Sasuke was finally…talking to him. He wanted him back in his arms even more.

"You can take a nap if you want," Naruto's voice was full of hope. "I can start a fire and I have my equipment in the car–"

"Naruto," Sasuke shook his head slowly, "can we just go back home?" Sasuke avoided bright blue eyes, but said blue eyes could see how exhausted obsidian ones were.

"Of course," he said, much to his disappointment but he'd never show it. Besides, he was still reeling over the new-found trust Sasuke showed him, so he shouldn't really get his hopes _too_ high up. After all, it was the weekend, and he hadn't seen the Uchiha in over two weeks. He figured he'd plan the whole thing out, but it seems like the universe had other plans.

-§-

Back at the Uchiha manor, Naruto helped Sasuke out the car, up the stairs and into bed. He ducked back downstairs to the kitchen to grab some water when he'd bumped into the older Uchiha.

"Naruto," Itachi smiled warmly at the blond, "I see you've come back."

"Y-yeah," he put up a hand behind his head, laughing nervously. "Sasuke wasn't feeling well, so I-"

His eyes went wide. He realized Itachi probably meant back as in…back at their house, back hanging out with Sasuke, after so long.

"Uhhh, yeah I-I'm back!" He smiled widely, his hands tightly clasped behind him. "Long time, no see, don't y'think?" Itachi's smile faltered a little, but Naruto could've only imagined it.

"Yes, it's been a while," Itachi's smile looked more forced than before. "Now, what's this about my brother?"

_Shit._ Naruto couldn't dig himself out of this one. _'I mean…he does know, but I didn't mean to-'_

"S-Sas was uh," Naruto swallowed, " He was feeling a lil' sick or somethin', probably a stomach bug, so I jus' came down to grab him a drink-"

"Come, I'll give you what Sasuke should be drinking." Naruto shut his mouth, staring at Itachi before following him to the fridge. He was handed a big bottle of water, the label proudly advertising the electrolytes this brand has in their water. "Make sure he drinks all of it." Itachi nodded his head towards the bottle, (or was it towards him?), looking Naruto straight in his eyes. Naruto took the bottle and held Itachi's stare. There was something else Itachi was trying to say, he was sure of it. Itachi always spoke with double or triple or septuplicate meaning.

"I'll try," Naruto said quietly, although not exactly sure he understood the message quite clearly. He held the bottle in his hand, looking down at it. Was Itachi counting on him? Was he counting on him…to help Sasuke quit his habit? Did Itachi…even _know_ he knew?

Of course he did. Of course Itachi knew Naruto knows about his brother, this guy knows everything.

Naruto looked up at Itachi with determination, his eyes unwavering, giving him a firm nod, finally understanding what the older Uchiha had meant. "But it won't be easy," he said more to himself, staring back down at the bottle.

"Naruto," Itachi moved to sit on the edge of a bar stool at the kitchen island, "I should warn you, I tried getting my little brother to quit before." He sighed quietly, at last confirming Naruto's suspicions. "He was always a stubborn one, that kid". The blond nodded, slowly.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Bastard's skull is as thick as stone." That elicited a chuckle from the older Uchiha. Naruto shot up, realizing he said that out loud. His face flushed and he looked away.

"Shall you need any help, Naruto, you have my number," Itachi stood and politely smiled at the blond. "I hope your efforts surpass mine." With that, Itachi walked away, pulling his car keys out of his pocket. Sasuke's parents were on another business trip, _as always_, and won't be back for some time. That meant they had the manor to themselves. For now.

Naruto walked back into Sasuke's bedroom and set the bottle on the nightstand. He sat down next to the raven. He thought he would be asleep by now, but here he was, staring out the giant windows.

"Can't sleep?" Naruto asked. Sasuke only sighed. He brought up the palms of his hands to his eyes, and rubbed at them.

"I'm ruining your weekend," he said through gritted teeth.

"Nah," Naruto shrugged, "all they do is party and play games and…have fun…" he furrowed his eyebrows, "totally not ruining anything," Naruto said in a playful tone as he pretended to roll his eyes. Sasuke smiled and shoved him, making Naruto laugh.

"But no, really," Naruto quietly started, "I'd rather hang out with you, if I'm being honest." The blond didn't know what those words did to the Uchiha beside him, he just sat there oblivious to the fact. "Plus, it's kinda been…well," Naruto looked down at his hands in his lap, "I missed ya, y'know," he shrugged, a small nervous puff of air came out of his nose. Sasuke turned away from Naruto, digging his face into the pillow. Naruto thought he was finally getting some rest, not a single clue about how the raven just wanted to hide.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a funny little sound came from behind him, sounded like a game or something. He turned around to find a blond fumbling with his phone.

"S-sorry, I didn't know the volume was up so loud," Naruto gave Sasuke a sheepish grin.

"It's fine," Sasuke mumbled into the covers. "What are you playing?" He nudged himself forwards a little. Closer to Naruto's lap.

"Oh, um," Naruto tilted his phone downwards, so Sasuke could see, "it's this game where you're this kind of jelly thing, and you collect lil' coins going through the levels and stuff," he demonstrated the brightly colored game for Sasuke, but frankly, he didn't care much about the game itself. The raven just watched tan fingers scroll up and down the screen, listening to the raspy voice above him, slowly feeling sleep taking over.

Naruto heard the quietest snore below him, Sasuke had fallen asleep…almost too close to Naruto for comfort. He locked his phone, tucking it away into the pocket of his hoodie. He let his fingers play with soft, black locks for a bit, grazing over his cheek, before standing up and covering Sasuke properly with the blanket. He sighed, looking at the lithe, pale body huddled up in dark gray sheets. He had to come up with a plan, well, a _new_ plan, if he was to get Sasuke sober by the end of this weekend. It seemed _impossible_, but Itachi seemed to depend on him. More than anything, he felt Sasuke's life depended on him.

_"People pave their own roads by the choices they make," _he remembered his father telling him. He sighed.

Choices.

He walked over to the other bedside table. He opened the drawer as quietly as possible. Upon laying eyes on the culprit, his fists clenched almost immediately. He thought about taking them and flushing it down the toilet, but that would send Sasuke into a fit of pure rage. Hiding them? That would send Sasuke into a fit of pure rage, too. Maybe even worse, Sasuke could feel betrayed, lose his trust. Naruto never wants Sasuke to feel like he couldn't trust him. That wouldn't be the right choice.

He closed the drawer.

Change had to come from Sasuke. He was the one in control, Naruto was only there for guidance. He thought if he left the drugs in the drawer, he could give Sasuke the option to stay addicted, or get clean. He could only hope Sasuke would chose the latter.

In the meantime, Naruto would get some rest. Not like he needed it, but he wasn't going to leave Sasuke alone. He placed a trashcan beside Sasuke, just in case. He dug through Sasuke's dresser, finding some comfortable pants and carefully crawled in bed. He took a deep breath and rolled over on his side. Staring at Sasuke's back. He took another deep breath, quietly this time, and closed his eyes. _'I really hope you make the right choice, Sas_,' he thought, before succumbing to the dark behind his eyelids.

-§-


End file.
